Tourism will play a significant role in Zimbabwe’s drive to achieve an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
Speaking at the launch of World Tourism Month 2026, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Barbara Rwodzi said, tourism is no longer merely an industry but a strategic tool for economic transformation under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
“Tourism is not merely an industry; it is a powerful instrument for economic transformation, investment mobilisation, employment creation, community empowerment, infrastructure development and sustainable development,” she said.
Rwodzi said Government was working to build a globally competitive and inclusive tourism sector capable of generating opportunities across all provinces.
“We must build a globally competitive, inclusive and sustainable tourism economy that creates opportunities for our people, stimulates enterprise across all provinces, attracts domestic and international investment, strengthens local communities and generates value throughout the economy,” she said.
World Tourism Month will run throughout September and culminate in the United Nations World Tourism Day celebrations on September 27, which will be held in Masvingo.
The minister said this year’s celebrations were significant because Government was deliberately taking the tourism narrative beyond traditional tourism centres and placing provinces at the centre of national development.
“Masvingo Province will take centre stage this year as we showcase its extraordinary wealth of history, culture, heritage, wildlife and natural attractions, while hosting the World Tourism Day Main Celebrations on 27 September 2026,” she said.
The province will also host the 19th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo from September 9 to 12, with Rwodzi describing the event as a major platform for connecting Zimbabwean tourism businesses with international markets.
“Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe remains Zimbabwe’s premier tourism trade platform, providing a strategic marketplace where tourism businesses showcase their products, access international markets, build partnerships, generate business leads and explore investment opportunities,” she said.
This year’s expo will incorporate Sports Tourism, with the September Sports Tourism Carnival already underway in Masvingo.
Rwodzi said the integration of sport into tourism promotion would help increase domestic travel, attract international visitors and diversify the country’s tourism offering.
“The growing linkages between tourism and sport provide an opportunity to use sporting events to stimulate domestic travel, attract visitors, increase destination visibility and diversify Zimbabwe’s tourism offering,” she said.
The expo has attracted 392 exhibitors against a target of 400, while 133 international buyers have confirmed participation, up from 89 last year.
Rwodzi said the strong participation demonstrated growing confidence in Destination Zimbabwe and reaffirmed Government’s commitment to using tourism to drive investment, employment and sustainable development.
“Zimbabwe is open for tourism, open for investment and ready to take its rightful place as a globally competitive, inclusive and sustainable tourism destination,” she said.
